Alpine Oddity

[ScottP]

I was on the S Rib of Guye Peak this morning when I came across something I haven't seen in the 20 some-odd years I've been going up into the Cascades:

The mound was nearly 3 feet tall and the base footprint was close to 5 feet in diameter. It was completely coveredwith ants to the density you see in the third, close-up picture.

[larrythellama]

did you beat it with a stick?

[Szyjakowski]

pour diesel on the pile and light.

[pzack]

The end is nigh.

[Juan]

Erik may think this is a big fat bowl of Mexican Brown. You'll need one really big rolling paper, amigo.

 

Sharp

[ScottP]

did you beat it with a stick?

The thought entered my mind, but I was afraid they would reduce me to a pile of bones in a matter of minutes.

[larrythellama]

just finnished the poisonwood bible and just that happend. drought drove the ants to overrun the village and consume everything.

[Dru]

i heard the sasquatch will build such a mound to bury their dead and the ants reduce the remains to undistinguishable components very quickly, which is why no one has ever found a dead sasquatch in the woods!!!

[Szyjakowski]

Burn it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stemalot]

dig it up dig it up!!!

[sobo]

Those ant mounds are quite prevalent in the woods over here on the drier side of the state. Although I must admit I've never seen one that big. Pretty industrious little buggers...

[SublimeSalamander]

Aren't those termites?

[AaronB]

just finnished the poisonwood bible and just that happend. drought drove the ants to overrun the village and consume everything.

Good to hear someone is keeping up on their "Oprah Book Club"

[larrythellama]

whats it to you aaron?

 

 

you seem awfully familar with the list!

[AaronB]

[Alpine_Tom]

Hey, Barbara Kingsolver is an excellent novelist (try Prodigal Summer if you haven't read anything of hers.) And at the risk of being sounding PC, I think Oprah's okay too.

[layton]

sounds like something you'd bivy right next to by accident at night

[Jason_Martin]

About ten years ago a kid burned an ant hill down by Fort Lewis. The fire was extremely difficult to put out and caused a great deal of dammage. The reason it was such a big deal was because the fire went underground. It kept popping back up and causing problems long after they throught they had put it out. Burning anything in the backcountry is a bad idea...burning an ant hill is a really bad idea.

 

Jason

[gapertimmy]

big ant hills are rampant in the scrublands east of bend

 

i love to chuck rocks at em, and then give them golden showers, though i haven't tried dropping brown coils on them from great heights.

[Off_White]

I've got one that size 50 feet from my front door. When they get too rambunctious around the house I figure they just need a project, so I go stir the pile with a (long) stick, give them something to do. Those little suckers do bite.

 

There was an awesome/horrible ant tree belay on the E. Butt of El Cap, it may still be there for all I know.

[Dru]

the ants are my friend, its blowing in the wind

[catbirdseat]

[Szyjakowski]

burn the anthill but have beer nearby to (if need be) put the fire out. <=FDept

[catbirdseat]

If they were an invasive foreign species like fire ants, I'd say go ahead and smoke 'em. But they are probably just a native species that has been here all the time, mostly unnoticed. Any naturalists out there who might have a clue about how common such large hills are and what species this might be?

[Jason_Martin]

The problem which took place in Tacoma is due to the fact that ant hills exist underground. The fire finds its way into these ant hill tunnels and stays there. Even in major pacific northwest rainshowers some of these fires continue to smoulder only to spring up at an alternate location later on. Burning ant hills is a great way to cause a forest fire...

 

Jason